Control means for divider plates of filing drawers



.Fbf v C. w. s'rRAUBEL "CONTROL MEANS FOR DIVIDER PLATES oF FILINGDRAwERs Filed sept.. 3.,; 19.52 I

2 'sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR Clarence W Si'rabeL,

ATTORNEY Feb. 16, 1954 c. w. s'rRAuBEL l CONTROL MEANS FOR DIVIDERPLATES OF FILING DRAWERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 5.' 1952 INVENTORClarence W SlraubeL.

ATTO NEY the tips of its side walls. Both said guide element and saidshoe may appropriately be formed from sheet metal and said shoe may beslidably retained in said guide element by having its side portionsconfined between the bottom wall I5 and the flanges I1 of said guideelement. In this connection, to provide for free and easy slidingmovement of the shoe I4 along the guide element I3, said shoe may havedepressed therefrom elongated ribs or other suitable formations 2llongitudinal thereof for reduced frictional contact with the bottom wallof said guide element.

The divider plate II, extends, of course, transversely of the drawer I9and at its bottom has a downward projection 22 which is disposed betweenthe flanges of the shoe I 4. The flanges 29 and the side edges of theprojection 22 are notched as indicated at 23 and 24, respectively, andhave their notched portions intertted with each other whereby thedivider plate II is retained in assembly with the shoe I4 and is mountedthereon for forward and rearward rocking movements relative thereto.

A suitable spring 25 is suitably mounted on the shoe I4. and is suitablyengaged with the divider plate I I so as to tend constantly to rock thelatter rearwardly to its limit of rearward rocking movement asdetermined by suitable stop means which may comprise side projections2'9 adjacent to the top of the divider plate for engagement with the topedge of the side walls 21 of the drawer I0, hereinafter more fullyexplained, or a rearwardly directed foot formation or detent 28 at thebottom of the projection 22 for engagement with the bottom wall I 8 ofthe shoe I 4, or both.

The projections 2G are provided with collar members 29 which functionboth as anti-canting stabilizers and as spacers between the projections26 and side walls 21. The members 29 are preferably of a solid plasticmaterial or hard rubber, and comprise a main body portion 39 having arectangular or other non-circular aperture 3| to slip over theprojections 26 and be held in nonrotative position thereby. In thisposition, the body portion 35 rests on the top edge of the side walls21. The inner end of the collar member has an integral dependent lip orflange 32 which projects downwardly between the inner face 33 of thewalls and the corresponding edge of the divider plate, substantially asshown. By these means. the top of the divider plate is supported forrelatively free movement on the top of the walls 2l and limit or assistin limiting its rocking movement to either of its two extreme positions.The lips 32 not only hold the collar members in place, but furnishresistance to twistingA or canting of the divider plate from its normaltransverse position, thereby preventing binding and insuring correctfunctioning of the device as a whole;

The guide element I3 is suitably provided at points suitably spacedapart along its length with a series of suitable stop formations 34which may consist, for example, of portions of thelbottom wall I5 ofsaid guide element extruded or bent upwardly from the bottom wall asshown in my prior Patent No. 2,821,464, issued April 28, 1942, andassigned to The General Fireproofing Company of Youngstown, Ohio. Thesestop formations are receptor teeth for receiving the lower end 35 of thefoot formations 28 providing positive abutments in one direction, whilein the other direction the lower end 35 may slide thereover.

The midportion of the bottom wall I8 is arched, as indicated at 39, overthe stop formations 34. A

portion of the arch 33, however, is in the form of' a resilientlongitudinally extending tongue 31.

The free end of the tongue 31 has a V-shaped depressed portion 38 forslidable engagement with the stop formations 34.

As material accumulates in the drawer I0 behind the divider plate II,the material will, of course, exert forward pressure against the dividerplate with the result that the latter will eventually be rocked forwardto a position in which the end is raised above the stop formations 34.When this occurs, the spring 25, by reacting from the divider plate uponthe shoe I4, will cause said shoe to slide forwardly until the forwardpressure against the divider plate is suiiciently relieved to permit thespring 25 to return said divider plate to its rearwardly rockedposition. Thus, the divider plate II is automatically and incrementallyadjustable forwardly to afford more drawer space behind the same toreceive material as material accumulates behind the same. However, theV-shaped portion 38 at the end of the resilient tongue 31 acts `as abuffer to moderate or dampen free movement of the shoe under theseconditions so as to prevent overtravel thereof. Consequently, theadjusting movement of the shoe is automatically restrained to theincrement or minimum increments necessary to satisfy the prevailing loadcondition.

While the spring 25 may be of any suitable type, it may appropriately beof generally U-shape and may include a medial portion 39 engaged againstthe front face of the divider plate I I and a pair of arms 40 engaged ineye formations 4I struck upwardly from the bottom wall I8 of the shoeI4. The arms 49 are provided with coils 42, so that the medial portion39 tends constantly to rock the divider plate I I rearwardly.

An L-shaped member 43 has its vertical leg 44 disposed between the sidesof the U-shaped medial portion 39'and its horizontal leg 45 projectingforwardly a short distance, substantially as shown. Pins or Shanks 46project from either side of the L-shaped member and are pivotallydisposed in the center of the coils 42, respectively. substantially asshown.

Projecting laterally on either side of the vertical leg 44 are tabs 41which are disposed between the front face of the divider plate and themedial portion 39. In the normal position of the divider plate Il, thatis, in the position in which it is rocked rearwardly, the horizontal legis above the stop members 34. However, if the divider plate is suddenlyrocked forward an excessive amount to its forward extreme position, theforward end of the horizontal leg will pass downwardly through anaperture 48 of the shoe I4 and enter between a consecutive pair of theunderlying stop formations 34, thereby preventing forwardmovement of thedivider plate. This is advantageous in cases where it is desired toremove or replaceva iile or other item behind the divider plate withoutchanging its relative position in the drawer.

As will be understood, any given drawer Ill may be provided with as manyof the divider plates II as desired.

I claim:

1. In a filing cabinet having a drawer comprising a bottom wall and sidewalls and a transverse divider plate rockably mounted on alongitudinally slidable shoe, a device for limiting the rocking of saidplate and stabilizing it against canting, said device comprising fingersprojecting from either side of said divider plate abovethe top edgesofthe said side walls, a removable collar" 5 on each linger adapted toabut the top edge of its corresponding side wall, said collar having aver tical flange projecting downwardly between the vside wall and theadjacent edge of the divider plate.

2. In a filing drawer having a divider plate rockably mounted on alongitudinally slidable shoe, a guide element for the shoe, alongitudinal row of spaced upstanding stop members on the guide elementbelow the shoe, a detent car ried by the divider plate and projectingfrom one side thereof for normally engaging said stop mem bers under theinuence of resiliently yieldable means tending to rock said dividerplate in one direction, a second detent mounted for movement with saiddivider plate and projecting from the other side of said divider platefor engaging said Stop members when said divider plate is rocked in theopposite direction against the action of said yieldable means, saidsecond detent being normally disengaged from said stop members when thedivider plate is rocked under the inuence of said yieldable means.

3. In a ling cabinet drawer having a divider plate rockably mounted on alongitudinally slidable shoe a guide element for the shoe, alongitudinal row of spaced upstanding stop members on the element belowthe shoe, detents carried by the divider plate and projecting fromeither side thereof, for alternately engaging said stop members when thedivider plate is rocked from one extreme position to the other, andresiliently yieldable means tending to rock said divider plate to one ofits extreme positions.

4. In a filing cabinet drawer having a divider plate rockably mounted ona longitudinally slidable shoe, a guide element for the shoe, alongitudinal row of spaced upstanding stop members on the element belowthe shoe, detents carried by the divider plate and projecting fromeither side thereof, for alternately engaging said stop members when thedivider plate is rocked from one extreme position to ythe other,resiliently yieldable means tending to rock said divider plate to one ofits extreme positions, and a resilient tongue integral with the shoe andprojecting lon- 6 gitudinally of the drawer, said tongue being inconstant sliding contact with said stop means.

5. In a ling drawer having a bottom wall and side walls, a divider platerockably mounted on a longitudinally slidable shoe, a guide element forthe shoe, a longitudinal row of spaced up standing stop members on theelement below the shoe, detents carried by the divider plate projectingfrom either side thereof, for alternately engaging said stop member whenthe divider plate is rocked from one extreme position to the other,abutment means for limiting the rocking of said divider plate 'betweenits extreme tions, and yieldable means tending to rock said dividerplate to one of its extreme positions.

6. The subject matter of claim 3 in which one of the detents comprisesan L-shaped member pivotally mounted with its vertical leg in engagementwith a face of the divider plate and its horizontal leg projectingroutwardly therefrom.

7. The subject matter defined by claim 3 in which the resilientlyyieldable means comprises a resilient wire mounted on the shoe having aportion thereof bearing against a face of the divider plate and havingintermediate tensioning coils between the divider plate and the shoe, amember including one of said detents, said member being L-shaped andhaving shanks projecting outwardly for pivotal engagement with saidcoils, the vertical leg of said member being disposed against a face ofsaid divider plate and having tabs projecting outwardly therefrom forengagement between the divider plate and the said portion of theresilient wire.

CLARENCE W. STRAUBEL.

References Cited in the le 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 619,323 Macey Feb. 14, 1899 857,271 Day June 18, 19071,666,700 Harrison l Apr. 17, 1928 1,983,576 Straubel Dec. 11, 19342,169,562 Lombardini Aug. 15, 1939 2,281,463 Straubel Apr. 28, 19422,312,742 Andersen Mar. 2, 1943

